Store-service apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. G. BOSTEDO.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 330.552. Patented Nqv. 17, 188 5.

(No Model.)

2 She'efs-Shee-t L. G. BOSTEDO'.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

Patented Nov. 17, 1885.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

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UNITED STATES 7 PATENT OFFICE.

LoUIs GARDNER BOSTEDO, OF ATLANTIC, IOWA.

STOREQSERVVICEAPPARYATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,552, dated November 17, 1885.

Application filed March 21, 1885. Serial No. 159,655. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Louis GARDNER Bos- TEDO, of Atlantic, in the county of Cass and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Store'Service Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the wrapping and delivery of goods sold in stores.

The invention consists in a store-service apparatus comprising overhead tracks with branch tracks going to and returning from the package-counter and cashier s desk from the various departments of the store, the going track having a series of hinged gates allowing passage onto it of carriers from its branch tracks, and adapted to be opened by carriers passing along the main track from behind them, and the branches of the return track having a series of fixed switches arranged successively lower from the package counter backward, and the carriers having head or switch wheels adapted to take their respective switches, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification', in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of that part of my store-service system leading to the package-counter from the salesmen. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of that part of 'the system leading from the package-counter to the sales- Fig. 3 is a detail view, in larger size of portions of the track and switch, and one of the package-carriers.

Fig. 4. is a vertical sectional elevation at right angles to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side view of a modified construction of the carrier-carriage, and Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9,10, and 11 are detail views illustrating the construction of the tracks and switches of the service sytem leading to the package-counter.

The letter A indicates the main track of the system leading to the package-counter, said track being made in any approved way allowing the carriages of the package-carriers to run along it, and the track is hung from the ceiling of the store by hangers a so as to incline downward at suitable grade from one end or side of the storeto the other. I prefer to locate the package-counter at the back end of a store, or at other place least suitable for the display and sale of merchandise, to economize room in the store for selling purposes,

and I propose to locate the cashiers desk near the package-counter 'for greater convenience in making change and dispatching it with the wrapped goods. As many branch tracks may lead from the main track as there are counters or selling-departments in the store. The drawings represent three only of such branch tracks,

A A A which are suspended byhangers aa a respectively, at a suitable incline toward the main track A to allow the wheeled carriers to run from the branch tracks or sidings onto the main track, so that sold goods may be dispatched to the package-counter from any point in the store. The branch tracks A A A each are connected with the main track A by a gate, 0, (shown more clearly in Figs. 6, 7, and 8,) and which consists of a short curved section of the track, which is pivoted in any approved waysay by a tongue-and-groove joint and a pin, cto the end 0 of the branch track, the gate having a beveled end, 0 adapted to fit the side of the main track A. In the joint-face of the end 0 Ifix a tenon or tongue, D, which enters a mortise or groove, E, in the side of track A when the gate is closed to the track by a fiat spring, F, which is fixed to the end of the branch track and acts on the back of the gate, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The tongue and groove D E prevent sagging of the end of the gate by the weight of the carrier as it runs onto the main track, and further to sustain the end of the gate I fix to the under side of the main track the cleat or block G, which is beveled at the upper outer edge, as at 9, so that the gate will certainly ride up onto the cleat even if the gate sags a little on its hinge in closing, Next each gate 0 the main track A has an oblique groove, H, across its top, through which grooves the outside flanges of the carrier-wheels run as the carriers lower ends of the hangers a by bolt ends h, which pass through the track, and receive nuts 71. outside of the track; and the track shown has a rounded top surface, .but it may have a A or V form at the top, if desired. At the extreme high end of track A, and at the outer ends of each of the side tracks, A A A I have arranged a cord or rope, I, which is connected with the end of the track and runs over a roller, '0', journaled in a hanger, t, and a weight, J, normally draws the cord I into line with the track, so that the carrier when raised may run from the cord onto the track between the last hanger of the track and the hanger i, and a pull-cord, K, is preferably connected to a roller or ring, is, placed loosely on the cord I, which cord K may be drawn upon by the salesman to draw the cord I down to the counter to place thereon the carrier-with the goods and money, and when the cord K is released the weight J will draw the carrier up to the track, so it will start for the wrapping-counter with its load. Should the weight J be too light to lift the carrier, the weight or its cord I may be drawn upon to lift and dispatch the carrier. A cord and weight, I J, and a pull-cord, K, may be arranged at the other end of track A over the package or wrapping counter, as indicated in Fig. 1, so that the loaded carriers may be drawn down by the pull-cord; but usually I will prefer to elevate the wrapping-counter so that the carriers may easily be lifted from the track A by hand.

I now will particularly describe the returntrack B and the carriers with special reference to Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings. The track B is held by hangers 1) directly over the same counters or departments over which the track A traverses, and inclines downward fromthe package or wrapping counter. At the package-counter the track B may or may not have a weighted track-cord, L, and pull-cord M, substantially like those on the end of track A, and hereinbefore described, for lifting the carriers holding the wrapped goods and change to the track B, and at the other end of the track a like weighted track-cord, N, and pullcord are connected for lowering the wrapped goods to the sales-counter farthest from the package-counter. Anumber of branch tracks, B B B, lead from main track B to the various sales-counters, said tracks being supported by hangers b 1) b respectively, and the outer ends of the branch tracks at or over the respective sales-counters to which they lead will have weighted track-cords and pull-cords, like those above described, to lower the wrapped goods and change to the counter. The ends of the branch tracks B B B are provided, respectively, with fixed curved switches or turnouts P Q R, the switches being successively lower relatively to track B from the packagecounter to the last salescounter for a purpose presently explained.

The goods-carriers consist of any approved style and size of basket or box, S, suspended from a carriage, T, which has one or more wheels, t, adapted to the main track B and run on the track before and behind the wheel t, to prevent oscillation of the carrier on the track, and the hangers of all the carriages intendedfor any particular turnout or branch track will have a sw'itchwvheel, t, journaled above the track-wheel t, and the wheels t of the carriers intended to run, onto the track B will be set at proper height to take the switch P, and the wheels t of carriers intended to run onto track B? will be set, at proper height to take the switch Q after passing under switch P, and the wheels tof carriers intended to runonto track B willbe set at proper height to take the switch B, after passing under switches P Q, and so on for any number of branch tracks. The ends of the several switches P QR preferablyincline upward for a short distance, as atp, Fig.3, so as to lift the carriages from the main track B as they ride onto the switch, and the side tracks incline downward from their inclined forward ends to the place for delivering the goods.

It is evident that the carriers dispatched from any particular counter along track A will antomatically find their way back to said counter from track B.

I show in full lines in Fig. 5 how two large track-wheels, It, may be fitted to the carriage T with a single upper or switch wheel, t, and the dotted lines show how two switch-wheels, t, may be arranged at the head of the hanger, if desired.

Guides of any approved kind may be heldat the sides of the tracks A B, near the gates O and switches P Q R to prevent or limit the sidewise oscillation of the carriers as they pass the gates or switches.

Heretofore cord or rope extensions have been secured at one end to the extremity of cash-carrier tracks, and have had their other ends passed over suitably-arranged hangers; 'In this construction the car is lowered to the salesman by its own and the weight it incloses. In my construction I employ a pull-cord, so that the cord-extension may be positively lowered whenever desired. Gash-cars have also been made with two main wheels arranged one in advance of the other, and having a switch wheel or wheels located above such main wheels, and I do not broadly claim such construction as my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters -Patent 1. A store-service apparatus comprising overhead tracks A B, with branch tracks going to and returning from the various departments of the store, and said track A having hinged gates 0, allowing passage into it of carriers from its side or branch tracks, and adapted to be opened by carriers passing along the main track from behind the gates, and the branches of returntrack B having a series of fixed switches, as at P Q R, arranged successively lower from the package-counter backward, and the carriers having head or switch wheels adapted to take their respective switches from track B, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In combination with the main track and the branch track, the gate 0, pivoted at one end to the branch track and having its other end movable to and against the main track,

substantially as set forth.

3. In a store-service apparatus, the gate 0, hinged to the branch of the main track A, and provided with a spring closing it against track A, in combination with the interlocking tongue and groove D E, substantially as herein set forth.

4. In a store-service apparatus, the gate 0, hinged to the branch of the main track A, and provided with a spring closing it against track A, in combination with the interlocking tongue and groove D E and the chamfered cleat G, substantially as herein set forth.

5. In a store-service apparatus, the trackcords I, connected at the ends of the tracks or their branches, and suspended from hangers to line normally with the tracks, in combination with pull-cords K, said pull-cords being connected with the cord I between the tracks and the hangers supporting such cord, substantially as herein set forth.

6. In a store-service apparatus, the carrier herein described, comprising the frame having arms t extended in opposite directions, the main wheel, the pilot-wheels journaled one to each arm t and the switch-wheel, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the main track having a diagonal groove, H, the switch-track, and a gate, 0, connected at one end to the switch-track and having its other end movable to and against the main track adjacent the groove H, substantially as set forth.

8. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the main track having a block, G, formed with a guide-bevel, g, and having a groove, E, of the switch-track, and the gate hinged at one end to the switch-track and having its other end provided with a tongue, D, arranged to engage the groove E, and a spring, F, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the carrier-frame provided with hooks t projected in opposite directions, of the basket having bails s 8,

each of which is supported on a hook, t substantially as set forth.

LOUIS GARDNER BOSTEDO.

'Witnesses:

HENRY L. GOODWIN, O. SEncWIcK. 

